The regular, everyday folk indulges themselves in the narcissistic act of picking and choosing, understanding whatever it is they want to understand for their own gratification. Behavior which, quite frankly, is perfectly represented by the male audience of any complex piece of media ever created since the beginning of time.
David Fincher’s Fight Club is possibly the first thing that comes to mind, overrated as it is misunderstood, its media-illiterate fans cannot take away its genius. From Fincher’s portrayal of mental illness, to the way he approaches anti-consumerism, romance and its turbulences, community and death; all of these aspects of life are presented in such a grotesque light, so disgustingly human that it becomes rather endearing.
Yet everything is implied, and to the crypto-currency-enthusiasts-antisocial-women-hating individuals that adore the movie, the subliminal messages go flying right over their heads as they are way too focused on how cool Brad Pitt looks fighting. The very clearly implied problem that is presented in the movie though Pitt’s character coming to life through his fanboys, Tyler Durden’s flashing outfits and virile discourses and one-liners completely blinding its male viewers, desperate for even an ounce of validation.
Validation which is also desperately sought after in the movie itself, the young men that join Fight Club seeing nothing wrong in the borderline terrorist actions that Durden makes them commit, as long as he gives them a sense of community, makes them feel special, and more importantly, allows them to showcase their masculinity, therefore their worth. The same way insecurity is showcased in the movie it is in real life, the blur between reality and fiction inexistent given that the director is criticizing a specific type of person, ironically the viewer themselves. The individual watching being way too distracted by Tyler’s Gucci loafers and red sunglasses to understand that they are being ironized, the character they idolize being the villain of the story.
Yes, the narrator’s mental illness and split personality disorder give the movie a clear moral ambiguity therefore allowing warrying interpretations. Yet the degree to which Fincher’s satirical thriller has been misunderstood transcends just subjectivity in art, the idolization of Tyler Durden being condemned by the director himself as he stated that he “is not responsible for how people interpret the film”.
As much as the cult classic is a plague through the prism of the insecure men that quote it like the Bible, it does justice to plenty of subjects, through its nuance and raunchy, dark comedy, amazing representation of humanity and its deeper meaning (for whoever chooses to understand it).
But the problem doesn’t just cease to exist, the indirect normalization of violence, misogyny and narcissism through misinterpretation of media being arguably one of the main reasons for the lack of empathy in men of our generation. Men, who in the search for a way to validate their egos and horrible personalities, actively try to resemble fictional characters, who amusingly so, are evidently put on screen to critique the worst there is in our society.
From American Psycho to Dexter to the movie that started my whole rant, the one thing the protagonists have in common is how absolutely obvious it is that they are a means of satirical commentary. Yet the same traits that are meant to be criticized, have become a gold mine for men that want to justify their inhumanity and lack of basic education. Diminishing characters like Patrick Bateman, who is a serial killer, to a role model just because he’s shown working out in the movie.
All being said, the ignorance of picking and choosing takes nothing away from these movies and series, if anything, it consolidates their meaning and the message they try to convey. But the cinematography, acting, imagery, not even the music, can repair the damage the fans have done to the reputations of these titles. So do not be surprised if you get a few stares when you say you like Fight Club, as until proven otherwise you’re doomed to be stereotyped as a Tyler Durden wannabe.
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